3 comments about Aquitania.

1. Aquitania was a rich part of the medieval world. It was the land of the troubadours and of the admirable liturgical chants. It was the world of the first medieval troubadour, Guilhelm IX, Duke of Aquitania and grandfather of Eleanor, the powerful queen. This CD evokes this legendary place, its myths and its art of the 12th century. All the CDs of Sequentia are marvellous. Words are not enough of describing the sensitive work of this ensemble. I have heard Dante and the Troubadours, Aquitania, with Christmas Music from Aquitanian monasteries and Shining Light. These three CDs give us a powerful view of the aquitanian spirit. I feel the vibrant culture of that part of a medieval world, when I am listening the troubadours songs and the music from aquitanian monasteries performed by Sequentia.



2. 'aquitania' is the second collection of 12th century musical pieces from Aquitanian Monasteries performed by sequentia, or the 'Ensemble for Medieval Music' comprised of a chorus of male voices, a chorus of female voices, and an instrumental ensemble.
   
   Not being a professional musical antiquarian, the very best I can say about this recording is that it is better than the first collection, 'shining light'.
   
   Oddly, my biggest problem with both collections is that nothing on both recordings does anything whatsoever to evoke Christmas for me. I say that because there are some buyers who may be on the lookout for some unusual Christmas music and they just may be disappointed by what the do NOT hear on these recordings. That caveat aside, this collection is very, very good in its variety of male, female, and instrumental voices.
   
   What some tracks do evoke is an oddly Celtic sound, especially in some of the instrumental tracks. All the vocals are in Latin, meaning they were all written to be performed for and by the monks and nuns of the monasteries in the Christmas season.
   
   There is simply nothing here sounding remotely like 'O Little Town of Bethlehem', even in Latin.
   
   If you want a portal into the world of very old music, I can think of nothing better. It is certainly more diverse and more interesting than the otherwise excellent 'Anonymous 4' recordings of old Christmas music.
   
   Highly recommended.



3. Aquitania by Sequentia is a wonderful, exciting Christmas CD for connoisseurs of early vocal music. These early Christmas Latin songs of the 12th century has a total time of 73 minutes. This is a fantastic, rewarding CD for all those looking for something else than the usual Christmas favorites. Sequentia is simply music of the highest rank. Barbara Thornton and Benjamin Bagby are geniuses in that field. Moreover, you simply cannot go wrong with this CD at Amazon's price. Far from expensive, I bought their other CD Shining Light. Before they fall into deletion, hurry to get both at once. I invested every penny for them and I never regretted it.
   
   - Maurice Canada

5 comments about Fresh Aire Christmas.

1. This is the first Mannheim Steamroller album I ever heard. I enjoy it quite a bit, but I have to say that other Mannheim Steamroller albums, especially the other Christmas ones, just don't do it for me. They often sound cheesy and plastic, perhaps it's just my taste. But I've always enjoyed this Christmas album regardless of my disappointment with their other music. I think it's a great blend of renaissance with electronic and choral music. In my mind it is truly enjoyable music, not just "fun" or "interesting". I also bought the piano sheet music and always enjoy playing the songs. Like I said before, I won't say this about the other albums, but I do think this one is a winner. So, coming from someone who is not a Mannheim Steamroller fan in the least, this is a great album and well worth listening to.



2. The name says it all! Never a bad choice with any of their music. I love them all, if you haven't tried a CD you MUST purchase one. If you don't you are missing out on one of the most fantastic experiences you can experience.



3. This is the first Mannheim Steamroller CD I've ever bought. It is exactly what I was looking for as far as Christmas songs. I highly recommend this CD if you love MS.



4. Mannheim Steamrollers Christmas music is at the top of my list to listen to at this special time.



5. Nice selections. Was looking for more hard driving music more of what I have come to expect from this orchestra. It was fine.

5 comments about Johnny Cash Christmas 1977.

1. By the mid-1970s, Johnny Cash was a veteran TV performer, and new how to keep a show humming. This disc follows an earlier show from 1976 that featured Johnny and June Carter Cash hosting a folksy, round-robin "guitar pull" in their spacious Tennessee ranch house.
   
   The following year, Cash had a much glitzier, punchier production, trading his funky ranch home vibe for a big, shiny soundstage, decked out with a gigantic golden holly wreath and twenty-foot tall panels of frosted-glass snowflakes. This show, which broadcast on November 30, 1977, was also a tighter show, mainly featuring the seasoned cast of Cash's long-running road show: June Carter Cash, the reconstituted Carter Family, Carl Perkins and the ever-jovial Statler Brothers, and another appearance by Roy Clark, who helped anchor the previous year's Christmas show. Although there's plenty of holiday music and seasonal cheer, there's also a wealth of secular music -- Johnny and June sing a duet of "Darling Companion," and the second half of the show is devoted to a tribute to Elvis Presley, who had passed away a few months earlier. Along with Carl Perkins, Cash hosts other buddies from his Sun Records rockabilly years -- Roy Orbison is in fine form on "Pretty Woman," while Jerry Lee Lewis tears it up on a modernized "Whole Lotta Shakin' Going On," then slows things down for a sentimental reading of "White Christmas." Surprisingly, the Carter Family is kept mostly in the background -- Mother Maybelle wasn't in the show at all -- while Anita and the sisters only sang as part of a larger chorus. All in all, this is a lively, well-paced TV show, with a very sincere religious emotional core, sure to be a delight for Cash fans and country Christmas enthusiasts everywhere. Recommended! (DJ Joe Sixpack/Slipcue)



2. I enjoyed this dvd very much, it was done very well, brought back good memories, the Johnny Cash Show was always special. I have been a big fan of Roy and since he and Johnny were dear friends and neighbors, I watched.
   Any Johnny Cash fans out there will love this dvd. And here at Christmas time, 2007 will make a wonderfull gift.
   
   Thank you,
   Billie



3. This was just the most excellent Johnny Cash Christmas Special.
   I remember watching it on tv when they did it.I was 11 years old and I thoroughly enjoyed ity then and now since Mysister had got this DVD for me.
   The music was very special to hear for any huge Johnny Cash Fan such as I am.
   They had great musicians and singers on there as well.
   Watching it tonight really brought me back to some great memories.
   The Christmas Music was so beautiful.I know there were more Johnny Cash Christmas Specials they did one every year for a number of years.They had stopped doing them right before I got My first VCR so I was never able to tape them.
   
   Jeanne Zinda



4. I have to admit I bought this DVD as it contained a tribute to Elvis, my hero. I am so glad I did because the tribute with Johnny Cash, Roy Orbison, Carl Perkins and Jerry Lee Lewis is a real treat. Furthermore, the remainder of the show is fantastic. Johnny Cash is great as are his guests so if you like good music with a Christmas touch then you will enjoy this DVD. Hearing Jerry Lee do White Christmas is also a treat!!



5. Excellent quality,both sound and picture.To see those Sun legends together was something special.They don't make shows like this anymore,and there will never be artists like Jerry Lee Lewis and Carl Perkins again.Great.

5 comments about Christmas with Dino.

1. If you're a Dino fan this is the Christmas album for you.
   
   It's a great album that puts you in the Christmas mood, but with a splash of Dino.



2. I really wish I had read about this cd a bit more before I got it. Finding out that some dreadful contemporary american country "superstar", has had the nerve to think she can sing along with the legend Dean Martin, was so upsetting, my mood took a nosedive. And on the song I bought the cd for no less!
   
   I remove one star due to this, I should have removed all, but Dean Martin is after all the king of songs like this, so that would be almost as insane as letting this woman linedance across Dean Martins coffin.



3. I love Dean Martin and adding Martina McBride in the mix was great. Great CD and was delivered promptly.



4. Christmas just wouldn't be the same without this classic. CD was in perfect condition and recieved promptly. Thank you so much.



5. Last year I purchased Christmas with the brat pack. This year, I decided to try Christmas with Dino. This CD is one of the best holiday CD's that I have heard. His voice is rich, melodic and soothing. I highly recommend having this holiday cd in your repetoire.

5 comments about Christmas Island.

1. I had lost this CD and could not live another Christmas without it.



2. As most Parrotheads probably know, Jimmy Buffett was born on Christmas. So, it was probably natural that he would eventually record a Christmas album. He performs seven classic Christmas songs and three originals. He does the classics in his trademark style, and they turned out well. The originals are good, too. There is an unlisted bonus track, which is Jimmy reading "The Night Before Christmas". This is a fun Christmas album. Parrotheads, feel free to add an extra star.



3. It is a very good - not superb - Buffett CD. It definitely has some non-traditional Christmas songs to jam to - these give you a nice break from standard Christmas tunes and are really what makes Buffett, Buffett. The standard fare (e.g. Jingle Bells could have been left off IMO). Ho Ho Ho & a bottle of rum is a fun track and is where the CD shines. Is great to use as background music for parties, dinners, etc... The CD is defintely worth the cost! Enjoy



4. I bought this for my daughter who loved it! She wished that I had given it to her much earlier that Christmas Day.



5. My very most favorite Christmas CD. Very upbeat and lots of fun. Great for any Jimmy Buffett fan!

5 comments about The Gift.

1. I purchased this cd because I had heard "Joy to the World" on a compilation CD of various artists. I was otherwise unfamiliar with Jim Brickman. I liked his piano style on this song with some light jazzy overtones. "The Gift" is a mostly instrumental CD. I would have liked a bit more variety in his piano playing from song to song. I enjoyed the largely traditional treatment of my favorite Christmas carols. I recommend this CD to anyone looking for religious Christmas piano music. The music is both spiritual and soothing.



2. Jim Brickman makes the piano sound like bells and how appropriate for Christmas music! This CD is a must have in your holiday music collection!



3. A friend loaned me her CD and I absolutely loved it......but I could not purchase it ANYWHERE.....my daughter suggested I contact you.....results, results!!!! Thank you! A most outstanding seasonal soft listening CD.



4. I'm not fond of the vocals on any of Jim Brickman's work and this is no exception. His playing is lovely as always but I wish he'd stick to instrumentals and not have vocalists on his albums. They always seem to ruin the mood.



5. We love this CD. It is beautiful music. We bought more to give as gifts.

5 comments about The John Rutter Christmas Album.

1. Great selection of music, and well presented. This is however older recordings that do not match the quality of Rutter's latest recordings such as the Te Deum or the Gloria.



2. I was looking for a version of Rutter's Candlelight carol when I found this album. I wasn't familiar with some of the other works by Rutter, but decided it was worth taking a chance when I heard bits of some of the other works in the samples. I also chose this album by the Cambridge Singers because of their reputation. I have not been disappointed. The combination of Rutter and the Cambridge Singers is excellent.
   
   I especially like Jesus Child with its cheerful Caribbean rhythms. The Angels' Carol has beautiful melodic line and sensitive lyrics. The Shepherd's Pipe carol has a joyous, personal narrative and lighthearted melody that lifts the spirits. I think it is interesting that this is one of his very first carols, written in 1965. It sets the stage for his career of using beautiful melody to make the birth of Jesus accessible to us all through his works.
   
   Finally, the settings of the traditional carols are interesting and well performed. It is always nice to have a slight, but not too startling variation on carols that can become all too familiar and therefore uninteresting. Rutter achieves a pleasant balance that satisfies and intrigues at the same time.
   
   All in all, I really like this album. I have been playing it and humming the tunes in my head. It is great musical soundtrack to carry in one's head for the holidays. I'm buying more for gifts.



3. I've always loved John Rutter and this is THE best Christmas CD ever. If you can only get one choral CD for Christmas - this is it!



4. Glorious Christmas music. Rutter rocks! (Well, "rocks" is perhaps not the best word to use, but you can probably figure out what I mean.)



5. 
   excellent! Inever heard a Rutter that I didn't like. This cd reinforces my enjoyment of his music.

5 comments about A Winter's Solstice, Vol. 4.

1. The Windham Hill series (Winter Solstice) fhas been outstanding, featuring a sampling of their artists. You get a wide range of performers (Nightnoise, Turtle Island String Quartet, etc.) that you might not run into otherwise. The result is a superior collection for the holiday season, but not so overtly Christmas that you can't play it at other times.
   I particularly like Øystein Sevåg's contribution. I can't rave enough about the beauty of these pieces. It's wonderful to play while entertaining, or to get you in the Christmas-card-writing mood, or just sit and soak it up while gazing at your twinkling tree lights.



2. Continuing in the beautiful series of Winter's Solstice music, this CD contains traditional and non-traditional Christmas music. However, it should be played year around for its soothing and beautiful sounds.



3. Windham Hill artists have a long tradition of coming up with very relaxing, chill renditions of holiday favorites as well as their own original seasonal music. All the music on this album brings to mind the most peaceful images of the winter season - a warming fire away from the bleak chill of winter; a snowy winter wonderland; simply being with the people you love most. This album is perfect for a quite evening away from anything and everything.



4. This is superb music, and that it is supposed to be "Christmas" music is almost beside the point. Yeah, it wouldn't be Christmas without it, but for me this disc can be a salve against the hostilities of an uncaring world. Such "therapy" need not always take place in December.



5. Our family loves the Windham Hill Winter's Solstice series, and my son says this is his favorite. I don't know if I can choose a favorite, but Barbara Higbie's We Three Kings on this CD is absolutely gorgeous and makes this CD worth purchasing almost by itself. Of course, the other selections are beautiful as well. I recommend this CD without reservation--you will love it.

5 comments about Tidings.

1. One of the most beautiful Christmas albums I have ever heard. You have to hear her sing Angel. Her music will take your breath away. If you like Sarah McLachlan, you'll like this.



2. Received this as a gift over the holidays, and wow.... just, wow. Allison's singing is remarkable in a way that is difficult to put to words. There's an essence to her singing, a vitality that you can appreciate only in the experience. It hit me while sitting in a candle-lit living room on a cold night sipping tea with my lover, and finding that we both were suddenly moved nearly to tears by this great CD. (Yes, I'm referring here to the hauntingly good rendition of Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah").
   
   The song selection is great (doesn't hurt that Allison's included "In My Life" -- one of my favorite Beatles songs), and this has certainly made it into my stack of favorites. Buy it. You won't be disappointed.



3. Tidings grows in popularity each year. As noted, the album contains traditional carols and songs of the season, alongside not-so-traditional songs from the secular, popular music, canon. The music, passionately performed by a singer and pianist of rare beauty, is simple and powerful. This collection, called "the Yule-tide find of the year" by a Canadian reviewer, has proved to be popular year-round - as well as during Christmas season. It's recorded most naturally, live-off-the-floor, on Winter's eve in Canada.



4. An on-line review recommended Allison Crowe's version of Leonard Cohen's Hallelujah as the best of the cover versions. It's not. Crowe has a powerful voice and excellent taste in her material, but her approach lacks either sufficient bombast or sufficient subtlety to be comparable with Janis Joplin or Kate McGarrigle. These are plain and predictable readings of good songs and have the sense of a talent being squandered.



5. Allison Crowe has the most amazing voice I've heard in almost 40 years of concert-going. Her Tidings versions of Leonard Cohen's Hallelujah, Joni Mitchell's River, The Beatles' In My Life, as well as renditions of traditional carols, such as Silent Night, are definitive and, simply, beautiful. (It's simple music as in pure. There is virtually no production and very little instrumentation apart from voice and piano on this CD.) Crowe's sound is powerful, yes, but, really, it's also the distinctive texture, timbre and color of her voice that makes for the intense joy in her music. Her piano-playing equally is strong and moving. This album is a modern classic. I'm thankful to discover an artist with such immense talent and taste - especially today!

5 comments about Christmas... From the Realm of Glory.

1. I was looking forward to getting some NEW Christmas music this year and Bebo did not disappoint. A great selection of original songs and well known carols given his own rich but understated vocal treatment with a worshipful undertone that's just right.



2. This is one of this year's best Christmas albums, a worthy addition to anyone's holiday collection. Bebo's voice is in fine form and the selection of songs is perfect.



3. I love Bebo Norman's music, and my wife and I love Christmas music - so when I saw that Bebo came out with a full Christmas album, I had to get it for her. We definitely enjoyed listening through the album, there are a few songs that we liked better than others, but overall it is a great Christmas album and a pretty good Bebo album. Wouldn't mind seeing another Christmas release from him in the future. Song number 9, Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas is probably the best song on the album in our opinion.



4. I was looking for a Christmas album that had both the classics and also some new songs. This CD was just what I wanted. Bebo sings with an authentic voice that touches the heart. We listened to the CD more than any other this Christmas. It is wonderful.



5. FINALLY, A CHRISTMAS CD FROM BEBO NORMAN....UNLIKE ANYTHING YOU MAY HAVE EXPERIENCED FROM OTHER ARTISTS....NOT THE TRADITIONAL CHRISTMAS MUSIC, AN AMAZING ADDITION TO MY BEBO LIBRARY.